The collaborative workspace is not a new trend, but it is an increasingly popular one. Integral to the collaborative work environment are shared spaces where employees can gather, share ideas, and create work together. Community tables are becoming a fixture in any collaborative office design.

In many organizations, work culture has changed such that an employee's place is not static in the workplace; rather, they can work wherever makes the most sense for the project at hand. Community tables provide shared spaces that create that sense of fluidity around the workplace.

We've seen such a communal atmosphere in coffee shops, restaurants, hotel lobbies, and other spaces where individuals or groups can stake a claim for the task at hand. Even when working on one's own, communal areas can help spark creativity and inspiration, as author Susan Cain describes in her insightful book Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can't Stop Talking.